OMV has suspended its drilling program in the offshore Taranaki basin off the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand.
The New Zealand Government deemed exploration drilling as not an essential service due to the COVID-19 Stage 4 alert lockdown, the company said.
The first well of the current program, Toutouwai-1, has been completed. The COSL Prospector semi-submersible rig has been stood down from the rest of the 2020 program.
The Maui-8 well was to be the next well drilled.
Additionally, the Maui A crestal infill re-development campaign has been suspended because it was considered too risky to manage shift changes involving a large international workforce.
Six wells had been planned for the Archer Emerald rig to extend the life of Maui gas field.
A maintenance program on the Pohokura offshore pipeline is continuing and will be completed by mid-April to ensure that gas to New Zealand industry is not compromised. This project was deemed an essential service.
